After an unsuccessful bid to become Centre Party chairman, Jüri Ratas says the number of votes he received showed that the party must be self-critical and that changes must be made in its leadership and behavior.

Ratas told uudised.err.ee that he was satisfied with the 41 percent support he garnered on August 27.

"The high-level result shows very clearly that both party members and those at the congress see that the a self-critical eye is needed on the part of the Centre Party," he said.

"It is necessary to make changes both in the organization's leadership, behavior and values," he said. "Whether or not that succeeds, the near future will tell."

Ratas did not comment on whether he would again run for the post of chairman, but expressed hope that the new board would work with all of the members of the party.

As reported, long-reigning party leader Edgar Savisaar bested Ratas on August 27 by 925 votes to 643.

Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDE) and former minister of health and labour, Jevgeni Ossinovski expects poverty in Estonia to decrease as an effect of the current government's income tax reform, though the actual impact will become clear only after data is evaluated next year.